Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9383131-B2
Application number	US-201313785402-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2013
Priority date	Mar 5, 2012
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes an insulation structure and fastening structure of an ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe disposed at an inside an ice-making compartment configured to directly supply cooling energy by being in contact with an ice-making tray. The refrigerator includes an insulation member configured to surround the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe, and a fixing member coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the insulation member in a shape of a loop to prevent the insulation member from being widened.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
an ice-making compartment;
an ice-maker having an ice-making tray at which ice is generated, and a drain duct to collect defrost water of the ice-making tray;
an ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe disposed at the ice-making compartment to directly supply cooling energy to the ice-making tray, the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe configured to make contact with the ice-making tray;
an insulation member configured to surround the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe to thermally insulate the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe, and formed as a first insulation member and a second insulation member coupled to each other;
a fixing member coupled to the insulation member to prevent the first insulation member and the second insulation member from moving away from each other; and
a guide passage is formed at the second insulation member to form a portion of an air passage of the ice-making compartment.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixing member is coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the insulation member in a shape of a loop, so as to surround the insulation member.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the first insulation member is coupled to an upper side of the second insulation member.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
a through-hole is formed in between the first insulation member and the second insulation member, so that the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe passes through the through-hole.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein:
a first groove is formed at the first insulation member, and
a second groove is formed at the second insulation member at a position corresponding to the first insulation groove, thereby forming the through-hole.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the insulation member comprises a front side protrusion part being protruded toward a front thereof, and
the fixing member is coupled to the front side protrusion part.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
a convex part and a concave part are formed at the first insulation member and the second insulation member, respectively, so that the first insulation member and the second insulation member are coupled to each other in a step type.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein:
a first convex part and a first concave part are formed at the first insulation member,
a second concave part is formed at a position of the second insulation member corresponding to a position of the first convex part, while a second convex part is formed at a position of the second insulation member corresponding to a position of the first concave part, and
the first convex part is coupled to the second concave part, while the second convex part is coupled to the first concave part.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixing member comprises a plurality of adhering protrusions being protruded toward an inner side thereof so as to be in contact with the insulation member.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixing member comprises a guide protrusion protruded toward an outer side thereof to guide defrost water to the drain duct.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein:
the guide protrusion prevents the defrost water from being introduced to the guide passage.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixing member is formed as an integral unit.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixing member comprises a first supporting part to support the first insulation member, a second supporting part to support the second insulation member, and a hinge part connecting one end portion of the first supporting part to one end portion of the second supporting part, and
the fixing member is folded with respect to the hinge part.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein:
a locking protrusion is formed at the other end portion of the first supporting part, and a locking groove is formed at the other end portion of the second supporting part, so that the fixing member is maintained in a folded state as the locking protrusion is insertedly coupled to the locking groove.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixing member includes an inner case coupling part, and
the inner case is coupled to the inner case coupling part of the fixing member.

16. A refrigerator, comprising:
an ice-making compartment;
an ice-maker having an ice-making tray at which ice is generated, and a drain duct to collect defrost water of the ice-making tray;
an ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe disposed at the ice-making compartment to directly supply cooling energy to the ice-making tray, the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe configured to make contact with the ice-making tray; a first insulation member configured to surround an upper portion of the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe;
a second insulation member configured to surround a lower portion of the ice-making compartment refrigerant pipe;
a fixing member configured to fix the first insulation member and the second insulation member by surrounding the first insulation member and the second insulation member; and
a guide passage is formed at the second insulation member to form a portion of an air passage of the ice-making compartment.

17. A refrigerator including an ice-making compartment, comprising:
an ice-making tray;
a drain duct to collect defrost water from the ice-making tray;
a pipe to directly cool the ice-making tray;
a plurality of insulation members, including at least a first and second insulation member, surrounding the pipe,
the plurality of insulation members are coupled to each other by a fixing member; and
a guide passage is formed at the second insulation member to form a portion of an air passage of the ice-making compartment.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein:
the fixing member includes an inner case coupling part, and
the inner case is coupled to the inner case coupling part of the fixing member.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Jin
• Kim Do Hyung
• Park Sang Hyun
• Seo Kook Jeong
• An Jae Koog
• Yoon Yong Sung
• Lee Jae Jin
• Joo Seung Ah
• Khan Qasim

Classifications

• F25D11/00 Primary

  Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D21/04

  Preventing the formation of frost or condensate · CPC title

• F25C1/24

  for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays · CPC title

• F25D23/061 Primary

  with conduit means · CPC title